Driest India Monsoon in Six Years Hurts Crops, Lowers Reservoirs
- Harvests of rice, corn, cotton set to fall for second year
- First back-to-back shortfall in monsoon in three decades
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India got the lowest monsoon rainfall since 2009 as the strongest El Nino in almost two decades parched vast tracts of farm land, hurting rice, corn and sugar cane crops.
Rainfall was 14 percent less than the 50-year average of 89 centimeters (35 inches) between June and September, the Indian Meteorological Department said on its website Wednesday. The state forecaster had predicted showers to be 88 percent of the average.